Norlhern Entomaloyical Society. 



6917 



here taken for the " boring shell," or true valves of ihe animal, is evidently a fragment 

 of the plate which closes the end of the tube. 



Mr. Sclater communicated a review of the South American family Momotidae, 

 containing descriptions of all the known species of these birds, with an account of 

 their synonymy and geographical distribution. In this paper the previously unde- 

 described species were characterized as M. microstephanus and M. Nattereri, the for- 

 mer from New Grenada, the latter from Bolivia ; and it was proposed to employ the 

 term Prionirhynchus instead of Crypticus (previously used for a genus of Coleoptera), 

 and to elevate the peculiar Prionites superciliaris to generic rank under the title of 

 Eumomota. 



Mr. Sclater also read an account of a small but interesting colieciion of birds 

 lately transmitted by Mr. H. W. Bates from the Upper Amazon. Amongst the more 

 noticeable species herein contained were a new Capito, proposed to be called C. 

 aurantiicollis ; and a specimen of Chiroxiphia regina, a new manakin, allied to C. 

 pareola, which was until then only known from Natterer's specimen in the Imperial 

 Cabinet at Vienna. 



With reference to Mr. Gould's Australian mammals, Mr. Sclater remarked that 

 the fact of Chiroptera and Rodentia being the only orders besides marsupials met with 

 in Australia was an additional argument in favour of the low position in the series of 

 Mammalia lately assigned to tlie two classes by Professor Owen. 



Mr. F. Moore read a paper on the Asiatic species of Neptis and Athyma, in which 

 he described eight new species of the former and eleven of the latter. 



The Secretary read a letter addressed to Mr. Gould, from Mr. Cumberbalch, 

 respecting the weight of the common partridge in those districts of the New Forest in 

 which they appear to feed exclusively ou bog plants, and have no access to corn-land. 

 Three of these birds weighed respectively 13 oz., 12^ oz. and 11^ oz. — D, W. M, 



Northern Entomological Society. 

 September 11, 1857. — B. Cooke, President, in the chair. 



Election of Members. 



B. B. Labry, Esq., of Manchester; John H. M'Keand, Esq., and Robert H. 

 M'Keand, Esq., ofLawton; and G. A. Almond, of Birkenhead, were elected Mem- 

 bers of the Society. Edwin Shepherd, Esq., of London, was elected an Honorary 

 Member. 



Exhibitions, 



Mr. Allis, of York, exhibited a large box of varieties of Lepidoptera : amongst 

 them were extraordinary varieties of the following species: — Vanessa polychloros 

 and V. Urticae, Argynnis Adippe and A. Aglaia, an hermaphrodite A. Paphia, an Apa- 

 tura Iris without the usual white markings, an Arctia caja with red markings upon 

 the superior wings, Phragmatobia Menthrasti {car. Walkeri), P. lubricepeda (var, 

 radiata, Haiv.), and a singularly light variety of Ceratopacha ridens. 



Mr. Allis also exhibited a box in which were Hydraecia palustris, Valeria oleagina, 

 Agrotis fennica, &c. ; also a box in which were a series of the autumu brood of Har- 

 palyce silacearia, eight Nonagria concolor, eight Sciaphila bellaua, twelve Laverua 



